Electra threw herself down and embraced Nada, not caring about either her form or the dirt of the street. "Oh, I'm so glad I finally caught up to you!" she exclaimed. "I was afraid something had happened to you!"

Nada opened her mouth, but nothing came out for a moment. Electra didn't even realize what Nada had done! Her innocence and goodwill was such that she had no suspicions of her friends. Nada was ashamed. "You're such a decent girl!" she said, her tears flowing again.

"No I'm not! I almost didn't follow you, because—"

"You weren't following me," Nada said, unwilling to have this lie between them any longer. "I didn't take the cookie trail. It was just coincidence we met here." But as she spoke, she realized that it might not be. This was Cross City, where all paths might cross, including theirs.

"But—" Electra said, round eyed.

"I deserted you, 'Lectra. I left you to face the goblins alone. I'm so sorry." Nada could hardly see, now, because of her tears of remorse.

"Because you wanted me to be the only one to leave the gourd," Electra said, "so I could marry Dolph."

"That, too," Nada confessed.

Electra squeezed her tightly around her serpentine neck. "Oh, Nada, how could I marry Dolph when you were lost? You were so generous, but I'm not worthy of it, honest I'm not! This isn't the way!"

"This isn't the way," Nada agreed, relieved.

"Promise me not to do that again!"

There was no help for it. "I promise." Then, after a pause: "But you are worthy of it, 'Lectra."

Electra shook that off as a kind overstatement. "Now we can go after those goblins together," she said enthusiastically, her bright spirits returning as if never dimmed. "And if anything happens to one of us then—"

Nada nodded. Sweet, innocent little Electra did understand the underlying reality. Perhaps their problem could be honestly settled, by chance. Goblins were mean creatures, and only an ogre could go into an encounter with them with any equanimity, and that was partly because ogres were so stupid.

They resumed their trek. The trail of cookies led them to a great wall, and to an alcove in it. When they entered the alcove, suddenly they were by another river, and there were cookies growing all along its banks.

"How can we find our way now?" Electra asked, dismayed. "There are so many!"

Nada was similarly baffled. She turned around, to check for the last vanished cookie, in case there was some misunderstanding. But there was nothing but the peephole of a giant gourd. She averted her gaze just in time to avoid being trapped in it.

Then she made the connection. " 'Lectra! We're out of the gourd! This is the With-a-Cookee River—the real one!"

"Oh!" Electra cried, thrilled. "Now we can rescue Che!"